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Error on StartUp - Computer won't boot


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#1
ace_porate

ace_porate

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Hey hardware guys,

My buddy down the hall hailed me to fix his computer but it's definitely hardware-oriented. When i tried turning it on the following message appeared:

"Primary hard disk drive 0 not found

No boot device available
No bootable devices - strike F1 to retry boot, F2 for setup utility"

It is a Dell Inspiron 8600 Laptop. As far as i know it was working alright until today.


Thanks for any help you can provide.



Ace
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#2
Samm

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Hi ace

First thing to do is when you see that error message, press the F2 key to access the bios (system setup). In there it should list the hard drive parameters. EG DISK # .....CAPACITY(GB) ETC. You may also see an optical drive (CD/DVD) drive listed underneath.
Let me know if the hard drive is listed there or whether it reports 'No drive installed' (or similar).
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#3
Samm

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Hi ace

First thing to do is when you see that error message, press the F2 key to access the bios (system setup). In there it should list the hard drive parameters. EG DISK # .....CAPACITY(GB) ETC. You may also see an optical drive (CD/DVD) drive listed underneath.
Let me know if the hard drive is listed there or whether it reports 'No drive installed' (or similar).
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#4
ace_porate

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Alright i entered the bios. Here's what i found:

Pg. 1

Time Date etc...
Pentium M 1.60 GHz
System memmory, video memory, some other stuff

Primary Hard Drive: None

Pg.2 - Boot order

Diskette Drive (in gray)
Internal HDD (in gray)
USB Storage (in gray)
CD/DVD/Cd-RW
Modular Bay HDD
Cardbus NIC
Onboard NIC

and 5 more pages (so a total of 7) of other stuff.

Is that the info you needed??

Ace
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#5
ace_porate

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It looks like he's just going to get a new hard drive, but i just wanted to check to see if there was anything we could do to help him before he goes and does it.

bumpy bump.
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#6
DeSade

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My money is on the harddrive, sounds like its dead.

If he hasn't made any hardware/software changes just before this problem started then its likely.

I'm not to sure how the insides of a laptop work but if it was a PC I would be inside it checking all the connectors were secure.
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